and that keeps us from going over the fiscal cliff. it's going to happen anyway, right? >> this is the very kind of shell game they run in washington. if you'll just give me my tax increases today, i surely will give you your spending restraint tomorrow. >> but you have no leverage in the debate. >> we never see these spending reductions materialize. that's the problem. we're borrowing roughly 40 cents on the dollar, much of it from the chinese, sending the bill to our children and grandchildren. that's unwise and unsustainable. frankly, i think it's immoral. and what you're saying is that republicans ought to agree, and somehow vote for a big proposed tax increase in hopes that in decade decades to come that this president will do something about spending. >> no, i didn't say that. what i said was why not -- why don't republicans and democrats vote for a tax -- to keep the taxes lower for middle class and people at lower income and let the other ones expire? you could do that now. and we wouldn't go over the fiscal cliff. >> what the speaker has done -- >> yeah, go ahea